🎵 David Bowie - Young Americans REACTION

Thanks for checking out our David Bowie reaction. We checked out Young Americans during our last live stream.
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Original #DavidBowie video: • Young Americans (2016 ...
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[@dannycasson1551]

“We live for just these twenty years. Do we have to die for the fifty more?” It’s like, in your 20’s everything was new and exciting but once you look back (I’m in my 60’s!) it seems we can never get back that magic we felt in our younger years. At least that’s what it means to me. Good luck figuring out Bowie’s lyrics!

[@alonzocoyethea6148]

I feel ya, Danny...Same vibe for my 63 year old azz....especially when u look at the state of today's world, media, and people behavior..sigh.

[@CaptainAmercia]

I'm just 22 and already feel old lol but yeah I can see that in the song 100%

[@dannycasson1551]

@@CaptainAmercia I was in my 20’s during the 80’s. Enjoy your youth! Don’t let others tell you how to live it.

[@dannycasson1551]

@@alonzocoyethea6148 It is wonderful though reliving this music through younger listeners. The music we grew up with will never be repeated. This is my escape from the world!

[@krisfox3537]

You nailed it

[@wendylagrego3394]

I like the line, "It took him minutes, took her nowhere." Probably an accurate description of many first sexual encounters. LOL

[@goldenageofdinosaurs7192]

Lol, I was thinking exactly the same thing🤣

[@fuchsiaswing8545]

I concur 😂

[@mollyhall2954]

I think thousands of us were happy to have a man write those lyrics lol! But also, because she doesn't know any better, ''she wants the young American" and the guy is always thinking of himself "Gee my life's a funny thing!" lol I hope it didn't take 50 years for her to realize! He's not a monster, only Average, God help us.

[@submandave1125]

There's so much in this song. It's about the fascination of youth and the power over culture this affects. It's about the influence of American culture (a young, brash, and loud culture) and the idealization of it on the world stage. It's about the conflicting and mixing of all the American sub-cultures to produce this unique amalgam. It's about life, and soul, and struggles, and finding your place in the maelstrom of ever evolving American youth culture.

[@goldenageofdinosaurs7192]

Well said!

[@timwanwick179]

Damn --- you nailed it ! Bowie would appreciate your breakdown of his song 😎

[@rolandmcguinness7754]

Fascination, another great Bowie track..

[@davet6079]

Beautiful description of a fascinating song

[@mikebabar8688]

You think too much do you dance

[@randytorres8211]

Per Songfacts, Bowie never was a young American - he was born and raised in England. Bowie said that this was the result of cramming his "whole American experience" into one song. The line near the end, "I heard the news today, oh boy," is a reference to the Beatles song "A Day In The Life." John Lennon worked with Bowie on "Fame" and also Bowie's cover of "Across The Universe." Both songs are on this album.

[@pushpak]

Includes Luther Vandross on backing vocal.

[@AP-ld2qv]

Absolutely

[@alonzocoyethea6148]

Boy, that saxaphonist was tearing it up...From the opening 4 measures to the take-out, and not stepping on Bowie's vocals, he was blowin!! Now that's some musicianship!!

[@debbiecook8777]

David Sanborn on sax - love it!

[@RON10PT167]

because of a tribute concert.

[@donnashimko3189]

It's saxOphonist.

[@steveyoung2317]

I love the way he sounds out of breath then gives and holds the note

[@mikedonoghues4018]

I think that last section of the song is his absolute vocal best. Exhilarating and insistent. Just brilliant.

[@jaemyrick5277]

This song isn’t played enough. R.I.P. David Bowie. Miss you everyday. One of a kind. Bless you for diversity in your music. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[@MarkChappell1]

Just have to say that Lex is subtly brilliant. She doesn't get it exactly right every time, but often enough, and it's extremely entertaining to watch her mind figure out the context of the lyrics. Both refreshing and a little scary. She also has a great ear for how and why a song or melody is catchy and engaging. Brad, you're cool too.

[@idemandabetterfuture]

Well put Mark. My first thought was, there's too much in this song for a first listen reaction vid. It was exciting to see Lex sniff around, then pick up the scent and get on the trail.

[@joelhammond4162]

Young Luther Vandross on backing vocals along with some other greats as well. David Bowie was obsessed with R&B at this point and insisted on having real authentic singers and players to capture the essence of the sound. The world didn’t even know that he did in fact have one of the best ever.

[@tone4507]

I think he's saying that most kids, when they're approaching adulthood, want The Dream... true love, great sex, wealth, power, success, happiness... whatever the perceive that to be. Bowie runs through a range of what those people want - good and bad. But none of them usually imagine themselves as older than they are right now. They want all these things, and they want to stay young.

[@MrHoppy-so2no]

Bowie, for the most part, does not write simple pop songs - that's why his music remains amazing and causes one to dig deep to understand some of his music. As one put it, his lyrics are "smart, studied, literary, philosophical, playful, informed, brilliant." Enjoy the ride!

[@Cadinho93]

You guys should react to more David Bowie… "The Man Who Sold the World", "Changes", "Life on Mars?", "Time", "The Jean Genie", "Station to Station", "Wild Is the Wind", "Speed of Life", "Sound and Vision", "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)", "As The World Falls Down", "I'm Deranged" 🎸🤘

[@davidsutton2778]

I agree with all you said

[@Ca11mero]

"Station to Station" is the most interesting one, should listen to Kraftwerks "Trans-Europe Express" after. "Time" is a really good one too

[@simonround2439]

@@Ca11mero I love Life on Mars

[@brucedowney9164]

Ok, but we don’t need your personal circumstances as your goodbye.

[@SEANBANOG4]

Life on Mars...masterpiece

[@surlechapeau]

Brad & Lex, you'll love his "Changes" and "Suffragette City"!!!

[@tefalhead7396]

Then 'Life On Mars' and 'Ashes To Ashes'

[@johanlebacq1998]

‘Boys’ ‘Fashion’...

[@notgivennotgiven7776]

Wham bham alexazam

[@lenhudson8194]

Why will they "love" them? Because you said so?

[@lena-mariaglouis-charles7036]

@@lenhudson8194 Got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, did we...?

[@Ca11mero]

America was/is glorified by a lot of people outside of the US (especially before the internet). I think this is about Bowie's own experiences after being in America, delivering the message to the young people who glorifies it outside of the US. Reality isn't always the way it's portrayed in movies and magazines. Maybe the positive vibes of music itself is because it is supposed to sound like a theme for American pop culture and the song is essentially a question if the life of a teenage American is still as "cool" when the lyrics are the opposite of positive. I had similar experiences when going to the US for the first time, I already expected it to be "worse" than what's pictured but it turned out to be much darker than I thought. The amount of people who are sliding through the downward spiral is quite eye opening.

[@briangray00]

I couldn't believe how many disabled people, struggling that you encounter, there are relative to the UK. I've recently read how relatively low average life expectancy is there. Really reinforced my ideals about society, medical provision and assistance to the poor. It's a shame the current UK govt is using America as a role model. Anyway this is catchy, funky and Dave is sublime - one of his best performances, teetering on the edge of corny, but totally compelling. What a glorious decade he managed.

[@chrissimpson6017]

Hope you guys do "I'm Afraid of Americans". It will blow your mind: the difference between the 70s and early 80s Bowie you've been listening to compared to 90s Bowie. You think he his style varies now... Make sure to do the music video version or the unedited NIN V1 audio, but I would suggest the music video. It's way different and better than the original version.

[@ericsierra-franco7802]

Not the greatest Bowie song

[@peterz4427]

Chris, on YT is a Bowie - NIN concert (Dissonance from 1994) where they do a duet of Hurt; great, great version and really good show!

[@DerekDerekDerekDerekDerekDerek]

@@ericsierra-franco7802 he did a lot of songs...

[@mikedonoghues4018]

@@ericsierra-franco7802 I agree. If I was introducing someone to the magic of Bowie, that song wouldn’t be in my top 50. Nowhere near it, in fact.

[@alrivers2297]

I like that song a lot more than this one they're reacting to.

[@stevedahlberg8680]

I find it interesting that Bowie writes such poetic and deep songs and then when you guys were breaking it down, it led to such a deep and insightful conversation. I think that's great. I second the request below for Suffragette City. There are just so many David Bowie songs and therefore so many great David Bowie songs, but when I was young, that was the one that I could put on top volume until my eardrums bleed and just play it over and over. It's just a tour de force and yet it still has funny lines in it

[@saintsataniko2116]

The logical progression next is: "I'm Afraid of Americans" which was made decades later by Trent Reznor and David Bowie. It has a cool video too.

[@Lexy-O]

Or his song This is Not America

[@GunsmithSid]

This song (Afraid of Americans) was fairly popular in my day and Trent Reznor had nothing to do with it - so I pulled it up on the Official Video and THAT was not the song on the album or radio. The video certainly had a definite Reznor sound to it! So I stand by my original thought and memory that this wasn’t a Trent Rezor/David Bowie collaboration - but yes, I found out they did a Reznor remix that must have been popular enough to make a video out of. (I had given up on MTV and VH1 by the nineties). Cheers!

[@zenpuppy6025]

Great Bowie song. I love how he slipped in a lyric from the Beatles. I read the news today oh boy.

[@coldchills1091]

Check out the 🎷 on that sweet tune 👋

[@jxchamb]

As soon as the song starts and you hear his voice your hooked. Doesn't matter what he's saying. That voice is just everything.

[@stuffguru]

There are so many layers to Bowie that not even a PhD project couldn't fully unravel Bowie. Dude was a genius

[@turqoiselove1]

Agree. Bowie should be a college course.

[@safespacebear]

this song has great lines for days...i've been "studying" it for 20 years and still find new perspectives on what it could be about. my favorite is: "Well, well, well, would you carry a razor In case, just in case of depression?"

[@bjm9071]

Recorded in Philadelphia in the 1970's and you can hear the "Philly sound" influence in the song.

[@JimSamuel267]

It was recorded at Sigma Sound, where Gamble & Huff recorded all the TSOP albums they produced.

[@ronmoore4372]

You're right. The Philly sound is stamped all over this tune. The whole album is soaked with it. good call.

[@hanselmansell7555]

Lex's smiles could power a small country with positive energy! ⚡⚡⚡😊

[@ricknewell6380]

As young soldier in Europe when this came out, we explained it like this, you want us but can you handle the life in America that comes with it. They have no idea about life here because it is totally different than anywhere else!🇺🇸

[@MrNemo-oi8cl]

u r on a different planet. In the uk ,then, as a teenagers we knew he was (ultimately) slagging the US with this song(has been of a country now). We loved Bowie but we also had Roxy Music back then, way 2 cool 4 USA thankfully. Bowie simply made his dosh with u.

[@gablen23]

its incredible how many faces he had, how many styles he fit in, btw I love his funk-soul era(too)!

[@daniellastuart3145]

he opening track is the title track, which Bowie said was "just [about] young Americans", more specifically "a newly-wed couple who don't know if they really like each other. Well, they do, but they don't know if they do or don't."[The song also presents new lyrical directions for the artist: instead of "shady" characters living in worlds fraught with darkness, "Young Americans" shows typical American teenagers. References are made to the Watergate scandal and McCarthyism, while the line "I heard the news today, oh boy" is from the Beatles' song "A Day in the Life", acknowledging Lennon's influence on Bowie and their imminent collaboration later on in the album. Author Peter Doggett writes that the song introduced the world to an entirely new Bowie, catching everyone by surprise.

[@peggypatterson5656]

His tune "I'm Afraid of Americans" is a logical follow up for this one.

[@bartholomewswarmkrunsh3859]

I follow other reaction channels, and follow them because I like their approach, but you guys are the best - Lex often hits it on the nail, but also I adore when you pick up a thread and go off at tangents (much like my mind does - lol). So glad you’ve done this, I’m a massive Bowie fan, this is one of my default karaoke’s, but there’s so much more of his to cover!

[@joansmith1157]

Yes! Lex has been crushing it!

[@rogerbarrett9920]

I always loved this Bowie song but I never could really work out what it was totally about. It's one that was really catchy and I still turn the volume up when I hear it.

[@joangordoneieio]

5 decades later I remember where I was and who I was with the 1st time I heard this album...They dont make music like that anymore.

[@gerhardbraatz6305]

{You said a mouthful there, They don't make music like that anymore for sure!

[@jrwalker591]

I love "word salad" in music, it is usually poetic, has a flow and may have different meanings every time you listen, and people will have different interpretations accordingly. Some artists have the ability to do it much better than others. Bowie, the Beatles, Lou Reed, Morrison, Jimi, Dylan to name a few. "Come Together" by the Beatles is the most perfect example, for me...

[@bobwoolerOriGinal]

Goo goo gah joob!

[@sandramorris893]

Love 'Young Americans' this was Bowie's first American hit. What I love about Bowie's lyrics is the integrity, whatever he says has truth behind it, it may be his artistic perception but that's what he/Bowie see's. He is one of those artists where you read a lyric, don't get it, then immediately google it to understand the context he's used, that is respect for an artist I think, where normally I don't care it's just a song, he's certainly not a lazy writer, he makes you pay attention. Bowie moved to America around 1975, Washington first I think then NY. With the 1st 2 verses Tracy Chapman's 'Fast Car' popped into my head, I think it's the doomed from the start relationship scenario.

[@VersinKettorix]

I had never seen the lyrics to this song before. They are pretty different to what I thought I had heard all this time. I guess I just liked the rhythm and beat.

[@telstar4772]

My thoughts exactly ! Probably best not to read them in this instance.

[@ashlealabine6937]

@@telstar4772 see, the lyrics made ME like the song even more. Much more depth than I attributed to it previously. It was never a favorite of mine, but I like it much more now.

[@jimmcdonald4087]

I've been listening to this for almost 50 years, and this is the first time I've read the lyrics. I had them all wrong -- and, believe me, my incorrect version was better than the real words.

[@jrgarciab]

Jim McDonald, share your lyrics. I'd like to know. Cheers.

[@sourisvoleur4854]

I always thought it was "she was the young American" not "wants"

[@autumnsnow8467]

The real lyrics are better than what I thought they were. Now I get chills everytime I hear this song.

[@jimmcdonald4087]

@@sourisvoleur4854 Yes, I had that wrong too. I think it would be better if all the characters were the young Americans.

[@pauloneill9880]

I just love Bowie's lyrics and the way he spits them, absolute full flow, no hesitation, revelling in the complexity. Just like some powerful fast rappers of today's music, stands alone by itself but with music. Wo wah wee wah

[@francescampion5298]

Brad & Lex, Im from England and love you, so spot on with your reviews of my generation of music, i was a teenager in the 70s and David Bowie was brilliant.

[@thecrye6798]

"Ain't there a child I can hold without judging, ain't there a pen that'll write before they die?" It's all about desire and regret.

[@mikecaetano]

Bowie was fascinated with America. "Young Americans" (1975), "This Is Not America" (1985), "I'm Afraid of Americans" (1997), and "America" -- a Simon & Garfunkel song from 1968 that Bowie opened with to kick off The Concert for New York City held a month or so after the 9/11 attacks. Bowie dedicated that song to his local ladder company, which had suffered many deaths during the attacks on the World Trade Center. "I read the news today oh boy..." -- that's a nod to The Beatles. The album Young Americans featured a cover of John Lennon's "Across the Universe" as well as an assist from Lennon himself on the song "Fame". The sax player on this song is David Sanborn. He played with too many greats to list them all. He also hosted a late night television musical performance show for season in the late eighties that was one of the coolest musical things I've ever seen on television. Stevie Ray Vaughan and Pharoah Sanders were the guests on his first show. Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, and Warren Zevon were guests on his last show. There were too many greats on that show in between to list them all. In one episode Sanborn joined with Sonic Youth to jam on a cover of The Stooges "I Wanna Be Your Dog". I thought it was awesome.

[@RD-dl9ms]

That 9/11 America rendition is spine-tingling, given the context and how simply he performs it.

[@bobdelp2023]

FINALLYYYYY HUH GUYS? 😊 SUCH A DAMN GREAT SONG AND WAS HIS BIGGEST HIT AT THE TIME. SAME 75 ALBUM ( YOUNG AMERICANS ) AS FAME 😊

[@antarcticorb9197]

He's commenting on how self-absorbed Americans are with themselves, especially the young ones.

[@backspace4203]

Went to a concert in 1974 and came out a fan. One of the best live shows I’ve seen

[@TashOnTheRock]

I have truly enjoyed watching you two discover Bowie. I grew up on his music. My mom ( now 81) LOVED him. ✌️💕

[@kenpudsey6435]

Been a while since I've heard this song,forgot how brilliant it was ,nice post!

[@ChataCovers]

in an interview David Bowie said when he writes music, he sometimes just cuts out snippets of news paper articles and magazines spreads them all out on a table and starts pairing them up randomly and creates lyrics that way, not always but it was his mode of writing often

[@danalyntuthill1538]

I read somewhere that Bowie was writing about the disillusionment of the American Dream in 1975. Bowie was a genius and often wrote lyrics that were hard to figure out. I just figured he was operating a few levels above most of us. The late great Luther Vandross was on backing vocals and did the vocal arrangements for the album of the same name. This is before he went solo and became LUTHER.

[@timcliffsmith]

Always loved this song but never read the lyrics. Now that I've seen them, I love the song even more. However, I think this is a classic example of why you shouldn't do lyrics when you first listen to a song. Maybe for like the first 20 times. Brad had his usual confused face on. Just enjoy the song first.

[@TillyOrifice]

Agreed, I love Bowie but I don't think it would occur to me in a million years to try and puzzle out the lyrics. They're not bad though, now I come to look at them. Brad probably got it about right at 6.30.

[@davidbetts9344]

I remember when this song was new. I thought about the lyrics but I mainly thought about how I felt when listening to it. Which was usually good. At least that is what I recall these 40 plus years later.

[@Boatzilla2]

It was fun watching you guys discuss the lyrics. I love this song and I have never really understood what he was saying (only in a general sense), I think you guys got a good read on it. Thanks for sharing.

[@that70slifetimetravel]

One of the BEST songs of the 70s! I might be one of Bowie's biggest fans... from almost the beginning.

[@amrak5028]

Current events of the time this was Composed are related in the lyric's. Some lines in this song reference pivotal historic facts. The shooting of Bobbie Kennedy, Patty Hearst, Vietnam War, Poverty, Racial Divide, Convention 68, MLK, Watergate, Libyan Crisis, Earth Quake 72, Desegregation, Abortion, LIFE Magazine and Life itself are all given testimony.

[@carolcarol3938]

Reference to Elvis

[@floorticket]

Only saw Bowie once. Day on the Green 9-17-83. So glad I went.

[@jaquettajones]

Yes! BRAD Breakthrough! Most songs ARE poetry, seldom with literal meaning - up for interpretation. Therein lies the Beauty!

[@sideline5519]

David Bowie spent a lot of time in the underground scene of NY in the 70's which was a mess. He worked with groups like the velvet underground and Iggy Pop. I saw the darker sides of the US. He both liked it and disliked it. This song tells the good and bad side of youth and adults who go through different things. The American dream is not what you think especially from a different perspective. It is not all good. and it is not all bad. The thing is what people do with their different lives. Bowie is almost always about be you and be ok with what you are going through. (But with a groovy beat....) Listen to Rock and roll suicide, changes, and oh you pretty things and the list goes on. The same theme is there in different ways.

[@sideezy1550]

They are just viewing this song on a surface level this song has so many levels that speaks to the times and the struggle of youth into adulthood. One of my all time faves!!!

[@pauljansen1137]

so many great Bowie songs...how about "Changes" next?

[@brendanmullan3993]

This is hands down my favourite Bowie song It’s just fabulous

[@crashdastardly99]

Lex looked unsure on the first few drum beats but the sax kicked in and she was sold. Good music never goes out of style

[@ericsierra-franco7802]

Recorded at Sigma Sound studios in Philadelphia.

[@dmgallibond469]

I have read in interviews that this song was inspired by David Bowie's love of American soul music. He was one of the great unique artists of 20th Century pop music that didn't care about genre and wanted to explore everything in his own music. I believe this came out in 1976, so the pop culture references are all from that era, such as Soul Train (which continued for decades longer, of course) and President Nixon.

[@Scott_Forsell]

There was a solid decade where you absolutely could not go wrong with a David Bowie song. Basically 72 to 82. Heroes is my favorite. The Berlin era. Eno.

[@MultiFinlayson]

You two are just brilliant 🎉

[@tomcoyle7676]

Great reaction to this one. Its a masterpiece for sure, but not one that gives simple messages. There will be a lot of irony in what he's saying, but it's also heartfelt, and you picked up on all of that.

[@goreegirl]

"His lyrics to Young Americans are, like all of his work, poetic by nature. He is not making a personal statement. This song is more a collection of observations, like snapshots pointing to aspects of desire and the pursuit of gratification. There are potentially different observers within the lyric as well" like a book will have different perspectives. He was in love with the literal sound of a word and what it brought up, how it fit in and loved making people think- so like a work of art, which a song is, it means different things to different people. Sometimes I think the lyrics can distract or be read too concretely if you're overly focused on them instead of just listening to it all together because after all, a song is a vibe which is what you hear and what that makes you see in your minds eye or brings up for you. The whole package rather than the parts which is probably why he loved first takes in the studio.Well done and as always Lex's gut is usually frighteningly astute like she's picking up radio waves.

[@Jessica_Roth]

Those congas that you hear are being played by a young, unknown, Luther Vandross, who also did backing vocals, and co-wrote "Fascination" with David. In addition to all the Beatles shout-outs (the quote from "A Day in the Life" here, the cover of "Across the Universe", his collaborations with John Lennon), it was during these sessions that David did his covers of Bruce Springsteen's "Growin' Up" and "It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City", although Bruce was still largely unknown at the time.

[@anth-ny]

This is from a very awesome album. Somebody Up There Likes Me, Right...

[@markbaker3013]

Thank you for sharing this with me

[@geoffn54]

I heard somewhere that Bowie had a collection of interesting lines - a sentence in a novel, newspaper headline, some dialogue from a film - and he'd combine the clippings to make interesting lyrics. Like this... There's a brand new dance But I don't know its name That people from bad homes Do again and again Don't know if the story's true.

[@rik6696]

He was a disciple of the great American writer William S. Burroughs who created the "Cut Up" technique with Canadian avant-garde artist Brion Gyson. Burroughs was famous for cutting up other books, news papers etc and writing whole novels in this manner. It creates this fragmented dream like work where the writer and the reader can find their own meaning in the prose. Bowie was a HUGE fan of Burroughs.

[@mollyhall2954]

I read an article in which the writer claimed that Bowie told him he did this--I think it's clear that he did this sometimes, but not always. Bowie liked to act as if his lyrics didn't really mean anything--sometimes--but most of the time I think they had real meaning and he cared very much. Novels could be written from the many stories he tells in his songs.

[@MrUlfdub]

David would move to a new city (or environment) and immerse himself in it to stimulate his creative writing. He was an intense observer of his surroundings, tending to focus on examples of alienation he observed (thus explaining many of the darker references in the song). He explained this many times over the years. As he stated in an interview with French magazine Rock et Folk: "I've written songs in all the western capitals, and I've always got to the stage where there isn't friction between a city and me. That became nostalgic, vaguely decadent, and I left for another city. At the moment I'm incapable of composing in Los Angeles, New York or in London or Paris. There's something missing. Berlin (insert any "new" city here) has the strange ability to only make you write the important things." That is until it too became familiar necessitating him to move elsewhere for inspiration.

[@jerryulin6629]

The song was used in the 80's movie "Sixteen Candles".

[@sandrastevens4418]

These are the lyrics. Bowie made it a comment on 1972. Wich was not a great year. They pulled in just behind the bridge He lays her down, he frowns "Gee, my life's a funny thing, am I still too young?" He kissed her then and there She took his ring, took his babies It took him minutes, took her nowhere Heaven knows, she'd have taken anything, but She wants a young American (Young American, young American, she wants the young American) (All right) But she wants the young American Scanning life through the picture window She finds the slinky vagabond He coughs as he passes her Ford Mustang But Heaven forbid, she'll take anything But the freak, and his type, all for nothing Misses a step and cuts his hand, but Showing nothing, he swoops like a song She cries, "Where have all Papa's heroes gone?" She wants a young American (Young American, young American, she wants the young American) (All right) Well she wants the young American All the way from Washington Her bread-winner begs off the bathroom floor "We live for just these twenty years Do we have to die for the fifty more?" He wants the young American (Young American, young American, he wants the young American) (All right) all right Well he wants the young American Do you remember, your President Nixon? Do you remember, the bills you have to pay? Or even yesterday? Have you been the un-American? Just you and your idol sing falsetto 'Bout leather, leather everywhere, and Not a myth left from the ghetto Well, well, well, would you carry a razor In case, just in case of depression? Sit on your hands on a bus of survivors Blushing at all the Afro-Sheeners Ain't that close to love? Well, ain't that poster love? Well, it ain't that Barbie doll Her heart's have been broken just like you and All night you want the young American (Young American, young American, you want the young American) (All right) You want the young American You ain't a pimp and you ain't a hustler (young American, young American) A pimp's got a Cadi and a lady got a Chrysler (you want the young American) Black's got respect, and white's got his soul train (all right) Mama's got cramps, and look at your hands ache (I heard the news today, oh boy) I got a suite and you got defeat Ain't there a man who can say no more? (All night) And, ain't there a woman I can sock on the jaw? And, ain't there a child I can hold without judging? (young American, young American) Ain't there a pen that will write before they die? (You want the young American) Ain't you proud that you've still got faces? (All right) Ain't there one damn song that can make me Break down and cry? I want the young American Young American, young American, I want the young American (All right) I want the young American, young American (Young American, young American, I want the young American) I want what you want, I want what you want (All night) You want I, I want you, I (Young American, young American, I want the young American) (All right) And all I want is the young American (Young American, young American, I want the young American)

[@islander790]

Check out Bowie doing “Young Americans“ live on the Dick Cavett show in 1974. You can easily find it on KZbin. It’s just wonderful. You might even spot a young Luther Vandross in the backing singers

[@RD-dl9ms]

Not entirely sober, it would seem.

[@henrymuniz6922]

“FAME” by David Bowie is from the same era. Love Bowie

[@MrDavidcairns]

Brad, your remark that Bowie's lyrics sound fragmented is very astute - Bowie would sometimes cut up books and magazine articles to create strange combinations. But also, yes, I think to Brits, American youth was definitely something to envy, especially if you were into rock n roll, but then if you envy something there's not just love of it but hate too.

[@joshfuller2026]

I requested this jam!! Shout out from st.louis mo…LUTHER on backgrounds….songs about young lust, and everyday human troubles

[@hungfao]

David (RIP) is one of these artists that have managed to reinvent himself for decades and put out decent tracks again and again. He is unique and is frequently more of an obscure metaphor lyrically than literally. Sometimes you just enjoy the feel.

[@mkmstillstackin]

This is a great one from one of the greatest! So many good ones to choose from. I also like "Sound and Vision" despite it being quite short.

[@idemandabetterfuture]

Always Crashing in the Same Car

[@jhood758]

Wow, there’s so much to David Bowie and long unusual career. You have to definitely need to check out Bowie. Strange at sometimes but I loved “Ziggy Stardust.” Space Odyssey….Ground control to Major Tom… always liked that one.

[@timothybush9633]

Hi Brad & Lex, Great song that I use to play as a cover in the 70s 😁

[@danw3735]

Love this song, Bowie is such a legend. Guys it doesn't matter what he's saying, it's just such a great jam.

[@FF04RDF]

Love this Bowie track ….. brilliant !

[@gordowg1wg145]

First time I've seen it as a lyric breakdown, it's a LOT deeper than I had thought for all these years. Way I take it now is it's about the young americans of that generation being lost and dreaming of the idealised life they were promised as a "young american"

[@Lg32343]

Lex is very insightful, in her search for the meaning,and texture in the workings of the music. Brad is quiet, but observant like the watcher. Bowie was a very artistic,other worldly character of his life. I'm very attracted to eclecticism, and he us one of the few who checks of all points.

[@johntremmel3949]

This from the mid 70s is my personal favorite track by Bowie

[@crafty1096]

Brad had it right. It’s an experience of living as a Young American from Bowies outside experience, as he wasn’t American. So it’s how Bowie looked at it. Luther Vandross famous R and B/Soul artist was backup vocalist on this album before he made it big.

[@alshipman2114]

Ultimately it's existential. It's about living a cliche, like your told to do, instead of becoming something more. This is also reinforced by the deliberate insertion of the Beatles line from "A day in the life" ("I heard the news today, oh boy")

[@vincentvancraig]

the legendary luther vandross and others on the glorious backing vocals of this masterpiece track....brad, ask luther what the words mean

[@ericsmith6615]

Wife here..AWESOME Bowie classic!!..Thanks guys!!

[@BobSoltis1]

Legendary saxophonist David Sanborn just kills it!

[@scottmacdonald1826]

I love this song. The way he sings "Her hearts been broken, just like you" destroys me every single time.

[@goittoog7563]

Like Supertramps " Breakfast in America" an idealization of what it is like, using available info at the time

[@SEANBANOG4]

Modern Love and China Girl.....Lets Dance all great early 80s Bowie.....and of course Under Pressure with Freddie Mercury....beautiful

[@vicprovost2561]

The Thin White Duke was quite th?e departure from Ziggy Star dust and not all of us were thrilled with this change in direction, one of many for Rock's Chameleon. I would love to see you get back to the Ziggy era, there are a bunch of those songs amongst his very best. Try Suffragate City, Panic in Detroit and Moonage Daydream, all incredible bangers from the day when Mick Ronson and his incredible guitar helped make Bowie's a star. Enjoy! 🎵🎤🎸🎹🎶

[@ammaleslie509]

A young Luther Vandross singing back up. He even came up with one of the harmony lines!

[@3DJapan]

Every time I see this title I think of I'm Afraid of Americans, which is a colab between David Bowie and Nine Inch Nails.

[@SalamanderDrawing]

I've heard the song is just about David's Experience with everything American the good and bad all balled up in one song.

[@aks4204]

David Bowie was amazing in concert.

[@rree9550]

i luv your smile, lex

[@TheSunnycal]

Some songs are much more enjoyable if you just enjoy the groove and make up your own words as you sing along,this is one of those songs.